norquist pledge against raising taxes and white house press secretary jay carney reacted positively. >> some of the comments you mentioned are welcome, and they represent what we hope is a difference in tone and approach to these problems and a recognition that a balanced approach to deficit reduction is the right approach. it's the one that's most beneficial for our economy. >> reporter: larry, what i would say is tax increases does not necessarily, despite the rhetoric on both sides, and especially from democrats, does not necessarily have to mean increases in tax rates. it is possible, if you look at the estate tax, if you look at the treatment of dividends, capital gains and carried interest and take a look at loopholes and deductions to raise a significant amount of revenue from people at the top without changing the marginal rate, layery. >> very interesting. we're going to have senator tom coburn on that very subject later in the show. many thanks to john harwood coming from washington, d.c. now, with everyone in washington talking tax hikes, whatever happened to spending cuts